Oh. My. God. I graduated!!!!!! Finally! Hooray for me! I finished my classes about a month ago, and a few weeks later I walked at the graduation ceremony. I am officially a college graduate! I can now put a B.S. in Psychology on my resume. Oh, and for those of you wondering, I don’t need to worry about updating my resume for a while, as I found another job. So yeah, things are going pretty good at the moment.

There were so many people at the graduation. They estimated about 750 graduates at the ceremony. We had to line up outside (luckily it didn’t start getting hot until we started going inside) and then enter through the back of the arena. This was my view of the line.

I wanted to share my excitement at finally getting my diploma that I used all of my cooking talents to whip up a special dessert of ho-ho diplomas. Did you know they individually wrap each ho-ho now? That was a pain.

As a graduation present my wonderful hubby bought me a vintage camping trailer. Check out my 1966 Aristocrat Land Commander! She’s functional as-is, although there are some aesthetic changes I am planning, to make her my own. I can’t wait to go camping!

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If you don’t know already, I am a huge Disneyland nerd! I have gone to Disneyland every year since birth (and a couple times a year in those really good days before adult status fully took effect and I had money to blow…ah, the days…) so for those of you keeping count, that’s a lot of trips to Disneyland! This year my son and I went to celebrate our graduations (kindergarten and college, respectively) and we had a blast.

Disneyland has so much fun history, and sometimes you can still see some pieces of Disney’s yesteryear. One of the attractions I truly miss is the Skyway. The Skyway carried guests between Tomorrowland and Fanstayland via hanging buckets that ventured not only through the sky, but also right through the Matterhorn. Not only was it a great way to travel across the park in style, but it was a fun adventure through the sky.

The Fantasyland Skyway station was styled similarly to the Switzerland fashion of the Matterhorn Bobsleds. Fittingly, a quote from the Dormouse in Alice in Wonderland could be seen under the eaves of the roof, reading “Up above the world you fly, like a tea-tray in the sky.” What a magical way to travel!

The Tomorrowland Skyway station was, in my opinion, much less magical looking. But then again, I am a sucker for Fantasyland. It just seemed kind of generic, but a lot of the architecture of Tomorrowland at that time was fairly blah… I enjoy Tomorrowland for the rides, not the looks.

The Skyway was closed in 1994 and the Tomorrowland Skyway was demolished (Innovations and the Tomorrowland train station are now in that general space), but the Fantasyland Skyway to Tomorrowland is still standing and visible (if you look for it). I always look for it, and this year I decided to snap some pictures (while my son complained that it was boring). If you want to see the Skyway station for yourself, it is between the entrance to Frontierland and the Casey Junior Train. There are souvenir wagons and food carts occupying the open space in front of the stairway. Ease around the wagons and you’ll have a fairly decent view of the station for yourself.

Here is what the Fantasyland station looks like today:

The Skyway station is currently void of all machinery, and I’ve heard rumors that they have staff meetings and feed the cats in there. I’ve also heard, unfortunately, that they plan to demolish the station soon. I had hopes they would re-open it in some capacity, such as a Merida/Brave attraction. Time will tell.

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Do you have an interesting product, website, shop, or blog that you would like to share with a certain demographic? Well, I am always looking for new, interesting things to share with my wonderful readers. It’s quite obvious that we should work together! I only work with companies, websites, and blogs that reflect my personal style or the Rockabilly/vintage lifestyle. If you fit the bill, consider a collaborative venture with Hellcat Vintage!

I am so pleased to announce sponsorship opportunities for Hellcat Vintage!! You/your company can sponsor Hellcat Vintage for a month and receive a featured ad button on the main page, plus a spotlight post. Hellcat Vintage readers will be linked directly to your website along with any social media sites you request. Sponsors also have the option for a giveaway!

Not sure if you want to sponsor Hellcat Vintage? I offer a variety of ways to collaborate, including product reviews, giveaways, and guest posts.

There are a few advertising spots still available for August, and there are always opportunities for product reviews throughout the month. If you’re interested in seeing your products, website, shop, or blog featured on Hellcat Vintage, check out my collaborations page and please don’t hesitate to email me.

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I have loved the iconic classic pin ups for as long as I can remember, but as a plus sized girl I never seriously thought about participating in pin up photography. In recent years I have found the Rockabilly community and in it I have discovered the wonderful body-positive pin up movement. You can see some of my favorite plus sized pin ups here. So I decided that I wanted to see what it was like to become a pin up. Having a model in the family, I was already familiar with pin up photographers in my area, but it’s a good idea to do a little research before choosing your photographer. I will post about picking the perfect photographer later. I opted for the fabulous Marilee Caruso Photography (who I definitely recommend if you are in the California Bay Area!)

Becoming a pin up was a big process! I chose a military themed shoot to honor the “birth” of the pin up girl who was ripped from the pages of magazines and hung on the walls in bunkers and military camps during the first world war. The photographer had a large array of costume options, but I decided to use a dress from my own collection (which ensured it would fit me). Marilee did my make up and hair. She taught me some great tips to getting a pin up perfect face – some of which I have yet to master, but are still crazy helpful! If you have the opportunity for a professional to do your make up, go for it! Be sure to talk them up too so you know exactly what they are doing. Getting ready for the shoot took the majority of my time at the studio. The actual photo shoot went really quickly, but we managed to get a ton of photos with lots of fun poses.

Pin Up Tip #1

Know your vowels!

One of the great tips Marilee gave me was how to get the perfect cheesecake facial expression; saying your vowels. I had lots of “AH”s and “OH”s and “OOH”s. Making these vowels in an exaggerated way helps to produce those cute pin up facial expressions without the “duck face” issue that plagues girls these days. In the photo above I was saying a big “E”.

Pin Up Tip #2

Bend and Twist!

I also learned some wonderful tips to posing like a pin up. You’ll notice that most pin ups are not standing perfectly upright. They are often twisted and bent to accentuate their curves. Marilee helped me to find some great poses that worked with my figure. Bending forward slightly helps to hide the belly and makes “the girls” look bigger! What a wonderful tip!!!

Pin Up Tip #3

Work the Angles

Another great posing tip is to pay attention to where you are pointing your body. Straight on poses tend to make you look a little wider or blocky. True profile shots can distort your figure. But directing your hips diagonally (not full profile) while your shoulders face the camera at a more direct angle helps to slim the figure.

Tips like this are extremely helpful in making any girl a pin up girl (along with a little photoshopping….).